


The Christmas Wish - (A FitzSimmons Christmas Short Story) - Sequel to Ritualistic

by Fritzen_lcaos



Series: The FitzSimmons Chronicles [7]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Fluff, Jemma Simmons - Freeform, Leo Fitz - Freeform, Leopold Fitz - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-03 11:47:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8712490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fritzen_lcaos/pseuds/Fritzen_lcaos
Summary: It's been two years since Jemma Simmons gave up on her ritualistic habits.She is happily married, top of her job and is on her way to a pretty amazing life.The bad thing about habits is that they tend to die hard.After an old flame finds Jemma on the streets and allowing past memories to make her lash out, her day goes from a great to the worse in existence.Upon finding out that Fitz had been keeping a dark and serious secret from her, Jemma wishes that she had never met Fitz, or even moved to this reckless town.Due to a "magical" necklace Fitz's bosses wife had give her, Jemma finds her life flipped completely upside down.The necklace is said to grant your hearts deepest desires, but only on Christmas Eve.Jemma gets an inside glance as to what everyone's lives would look like without her influence on them, helping her to realize that she made the biggest mistake of her life.Question is, can she retract the wish he had made? Or is she already too late?- Sequel To Ritualistic -





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ritualistic (A FitzSimmons Short Story)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5212751) by [Fritzen_lcaos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fritzen_lcaos/pseuds/Fritzen_lcaos). 



> I recommend reading "Ritualistic" before starting this story, as this is a continuation of that story and it will better help you to understand Jemma's behavior in this story. It is not required, but it is recommended.  
> SO, the inspiration for this story came from the random thought of: "what if..?" and then of course, watching "It's A Wonderful Life" and then running with this idea. While this will never be as good as "It's A Wonderful Life" itself, here is a spin on what I would consider Jemma Simmons WORSE Christmas. Enjoy!

_ Christmas. _

A time that set in a cold, frigid and wet month; surrounded by carolers singing joyous tunes at the top of their lungs, bright twinkling lights at sunset and warm cheer spread throughout excited greetings, hugs and random acts of kindness.

It was the time of year where families, busy throughout the rest of the year, gathered at parties and celebrated the year that past and the one soon to come.

It was where friends exchanged goofy gifts during a white elephant game, or where lovers shared a sweet, passionate kiss under some mistletoe.

It was that time of year that just scream: “ _ Joy to the world!”  _ or “ _ Peace on earth”! _

For some, though, Christmas was that time of year that was better left forgotten than thought about. If they could, they would lock themselves in their homes or apartments and avoid the outside world until the Holiday had past.

Yes, for some Christmas wasn’t a grand time of year. Some people dealt with the memory of their love one that they lost a short couple Christmases ago, or of the marriage that fell apart just a mere month before the Holiday’s took place.

For our story's main protagonist, Christmas was her least favorite time of year for reasons  _ other  _ than a broken heart or loved one lost.

It was the fact that, while there were more important issues at stake, people were out fighting over Black Friday deals, looking for the best stocking stuffer, or planning that perfect Christmas gathering.

After moving to America, Jemma Simmons failed to see why Christmas was such a big deal anymore. Sure, as a kid, there were many reasons she could think of why Christmas was grand.

It was waking up Christmas morning to see that Santa had brought her the telescope she wanted to badly, to sipping on hot cocoa with whip cream and to spending time her parents.

As an  _ adult? _

The only thing that made Christmas special for her anymore was the fact that she got off work early on Christmas Eve, and got to spend the special night with an extremely special person.

Two years ago, back when she was a ritualistic, single woman working her life into a dead end lifestyle, a man worked his way into her life.

They met at a very special park not too far from where she lived, a park where he sat on her special and ruined all plans of living a well planned out life.

Yes, as far as Jemma Simmons was concerned, it was Leopold Fitz’s fault for her plans being thwarted. But if it wasn’t for Leopold Fitz, would she be coming home to a man no longer as Jemma Simmons, but rather Jemma  _ FitzSimmons  _ instead?

Christmas was only special to her because of what Christmas brought her each and every Christmas Eve the last two years. She had no care for the carols, or the presents, the lights,  _ none of that. _

All she cared was that she got to get away from it all and celebrate an evening with a man she loved dearly.

What if that all changed, though? What if something went so horribly wrong, that everything Jemma FitzSimmons once held close and dear, was yanked from beneath her within an instant?

Be careful what you wish for, because you never know what wishes might be missed and what ones  _ might  _ come true.


	2. Be Careful What You Wish For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma Simmons still struggled with ritualistic lifestyle, and today it really showed.  
> A ghost from her college days past brought to surface those old habits, leading her down a laneto holiday demise.  
> Be careful what you wish for, for you never know who or what is listening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE shout out to pestoaioli on Instagram for proof reading this for me (and some really great pointers)! <3

 

_**3:47PM, Christmas Eve** _

  


Following an early dismissal from work, Jemma FitzSimmons was making her way through the small town she now called home.

In the last few years, Jemma had grown fond of her quaint little town filled with it’s unique charm, small businesses and friendly, caring people.

They had made memories here, her and Fitz. They’d built a life together. A good one, she hoped. Jemma was reminded of its charm time and time again, especially on a day like today.

After a stop to the grocery store and their favorite restaurant, she felt pleased to have gotten her errands done in a timely manner.

She would have loved to stay out longer, but as she made her way back to her safe haven, back home to where Fitz was waiting for her, she could hardly wait.

Even when bundled up in a coat down to her ankles, she couldn’t help but shiver. That was the only thing she disliked about this small town, how cold it got when winter rolled around, how it seemed to chill her bones.

What she wouldn’t give to be sitting by a fire, curled up with a cup of hot cocoa. Or, better yet, avoid the cold entirely with a car that _actually_ worked.

The shrill of her muffled cell phone interrupted her thoughts. Shifting her shopping from one hand to the other, she reached into her coat pocket and brought out the screaming device, pressing it to her ear without even looking at who was calling.

“Hello, Jemm-” she barely made out the next sentence before the clearly excitable person on the other end began breathlessly spewing information at her.

“ _Guess who has a special someone that they’re bringing to YOUR Christmas party tomorrow?”_ exclaimed the voice, nearly blowing Jemma’s eardrum.

Pulling the phone away from her ear, she earned a few concerned looks from some passing pedestrians, grimacing as she mouthed an apology.

Letting out a quick, weary sigh, she placed the phone back to her head, bracing herself for yet _another_ loud outburst.

“Oh, I don’t know, _Skye._ Who could _possibly_ have a lucky guy lined up for the big day?”

Jemma could hear the grin her younger friend must be sporting as she screamed out again: “ _Yeeee!_ You are now looking at the no longer single pringle! I am now, officially, a big girl!”

“Congrats, Skye! I am so happ-”

“Oh, Jemma? It’s _Daisy_ now. Remember?”

Right. As if it wasn’t difficult enough to keep track of all the changes happening in her life. Change still made Jemma uneasy. What else would she have to adjust to this year?

Well, not including…

“Jemma, you there?” Daisy pressed.

“Right, right, sorry. How could I possibly forget?” Jemma clicked her tongue in frustration, as she stepped into the street without looking.

A loud revving noise, followed by quick, swift movement out of the corner of her eye had caught her attention but before she could address what it was, someone’s hand grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her back onto the sidewalk.

The quick motion and force of whoever yanked her backwards, combined with the icy sidewalk, sent her shopping flying, as both she and the stranger fell to the hard ground.

Jemma’s surprised gasp was met with a disgruntled, pain filled groan as she landed on top of the stranger. A stranger who it appeared had just pulled her out of the way of a careless driver speeding down alley way in a ‘69 Dodge Charger, earning a few startled gasps and choice words from the bystanders around them.

She felt a dull, throbbing pain in the hand pressing against the sidewalk beneath her, but she barely had a chance to address it or the stranger as some of the bystanders began helping her up off the man who just single handedly saved her from being mowed down in the road.

It all happened so fast, she didn’t know how she missed the driver in the first place. It was typical of her to be so ignorant, not that that mattered. Remembering the man that saved her life, she focused on what was truly important in this moment.

“Step aside, I’m a doctor!” she snapped, kneeling before the man as more bystanders helped him to sit up.

Her eyes grew wide as saucers as they met the eyes of the man who had saved her life. Oh, of all things to take place on this day, this was just not what she needed. Would it have been too much to let the vehicle run her down?

“ _Will?”_ she exclaimed, surprise rising in her voice. “Will _Daniels_?”

Will Daniels, a man with a thick, dark beard and equally as dark eyes, gave her a sheepish grin, brushing out some of the snow that dusted his hair.

“How is it I am always saving your life like this, Jemma Simmons? Even after all these years, you’re still as unaware of your surroundings as you were in college. In fact, I think you might be worse.”

Her face flushed red at his words, but she kept her light, hazel eyes on his.

Last time she’d seen Will Daniels, was her last year at college. She never thought she’d see him again, let alone here, of all places.

Suddenly aware of the fact that they still had an audience around them, she made a shooing motion with her hands.

“You can go, everyone. This man is alright.”

Some of the strangers around her looked unsure, but they took her word for it and went about their Christmas Eve business.

Standing from the ground and brushing the light snow off of her coat and jeans, Jemma extended her hand for her former colleague.

He took it without hesitation, standing up from the ground and keeping hold of her hand after he was back on his feet. She followed his gaze to where his eyes were locked on her left hand, and she instantly realized why.

A low wolf whistle left his lips, as he raised her hand closer to his face to get a better look at the ring now resting on the special finger. His reaction caused another bright red flush to colour her cheeks.

“Jemma Simmons, that’s one serious rock you’ve got there! Or, should I say, Mrs..?”

She gave him a smile, feeling both awkward but excited to talk about the story behind the ring on her finger and her last name.

“FitzSimmons.”

“Ah, lovely last name. What’s the lucky guys name?”

“Well, his first name is Leopold but he prefers to go by his last name, which is Fitz. We thought that putting our names together sounded better. Jemma Fitz just doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

Will nodded understandingly, releasing Jemma’s hand back down to her side.

“A compromise, I like that. Sounds like a great guy. So, tell me, does he put up with all your little ritualistic ways?”

Letting out a gentle laugh, she tilted her head towards the ground, flushing as she looked at her feet. She still struggled with her old ways sometimes, especially during the holiday season, though she supposed she hadn’t really dwelled on them in sometime.

Her laugh stopped short, as she saw how her former love interest was looking at her. It was the same way Fitz looked at her whenever she laughed, a softness to his eyes as he watched with a small, amused smile on his face.

It made her feel insecure and vulnerable, being face-to-face with a past lover from her college years. He was the very man her tight knit, ritualistic schedule was based upon. While a great man, Will had possessed a bad habit of not getting projects done in a timely manner, letting life get him sidetracked. It had frustrated her to no end.

If he was going to bring himself down, she wouldn’t let him do it to her. She never expected her schedule to be so strict, though. After one wrong decision with Will, which had led to her being late for a class, she’d decided enough was enough.

That list became the ultimate demise of their relationship and of her ability to live a carefree life.

Oh, of all people, on all days, why did it have to be Will Daniels standing before her holding all her ghosts on Christmas Eve?

“Actually, I don’t really go by that silly schedule thing anymore. I use the process lightly for important events.”

“ _Really?”_ Will’s voice was heavy with surprise, as his eyes widened.

She nodded, his eyes locking on her made her feel as if she were about to be sick. Was it wrong, being here with him? She wasn’t technically doing anything wrong, but it sure felt like she was.

“Well, that Fitz guy must be some sort of miracle worker. I couldn’t even get you to skip out on one thing on your list, let alone, the entire list all together!”

Jemma chose not comment on his last remark, keeping her eyes firmly on the ground. She looked around her feet at the snow sparkling beneath her, only to notice that her phone was lying facedown on the snowy sidewalk.

_Daisy._

Letting out a soft gasp, she reached for the phone quickly, aware of the fact that Will’s eyes had followed her, she pressed the screen to see what had become of her friend.

She was disappointed to see that the screen had been cracked, no doubt from the fall. The screen was still readable, and she was able to make out that she had three missed calls in the last few minutes alone.

Two from Daisy and one, a name that made her heart feel as if it was sinking into her stomach.

_Fitz._

Oh dear, she’d forgotten about her evening plans with him. She was due home in a few short minutes to begin decorating their house for the party tomorrow, yet here she was, chatting it up with an old flame when they had important things to plan for.

Plus, _she was late._ _She hated being late._

At that very moment, it didn’t help that a text message from Fitz himself had just arrived to her inbox, reading: “ _Come home immediately, it’s an emergency_ ”.

“Ohhhh, I am so screwed!” she cried, tears threatening to fill her eyes. Frantically looking around for the rest of her items that were tossed when Will had saved her, she found that the bag of items from the grocery store rested not too far from where her phone laid.

She scooped those up onto her arms within an instant, but something was still missing.

Turning around, she saw the rest of her shopping. Laying in the middle of the street she was crossing at the time of the incident, smashed down into the slush of the snow, were the two sandwiches that she picked up from their favorite restaurant.

It was their own special, Christmas tradition that they had. They donned their ugly sweaters, ate their sandwiches, baked cookies and then set up the tree.

After it was all done, they each gave each other their one, special gift, before retiring to bed.

Sometimes that included actual sleeping, and other times…less sleeping.

Her heart sank even deeper, as her face flushed scarlet red. Now one part of that tradition was ruined this year, as there was no way she’d have time to get replacements made, not with how busy the place was during this time of year.

Will, having seen her upset expression, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The touch sent an unnerving sensation down her entire back, one that nearly made her pull away from the man violently.

“Listen Jemma, I am so, so sorry. This is my fault. How about I make this up to you, yeah? Let me buy you some replacements-”

Jemma raised her hands, quickly pulling herself away from the man.

“No I’m sorry, _William,_ I don’t have time. I’m late for a very important night and half of it is ruined now because of that stupid Dodge Charger.” She was grabbing her bags back off the ground, about to take off when Will had grabbed her hand.

“Jemma, wait. Please let me at least take you home, it’s the least I could do to make up for this. Or maybe we could go out for coffee sometime? Catch up on some old memories?”

She gritted her teeth. She did not have time to exchange phone numbers, or make her way to wherever his vehicle might be.

Plus, was that even safe? How would Fitz handle her being brought back home by her ex-college-boyfriend?

A smile forced itself onto her face, as she looked him directly into the eyes.

“I’m fine, William. I thank you for your generous offer, but I can walk. Plus, it’s probably best that we keep our distance from one another, all right? It’s best that that our past mistakes, stay in the past. Besides, I have this Christmas Eve all planned out and you taking me home would just, ruin that entire schedule.”

She wasn’t for sure where that last bit had come from, but she wished she could take it back almost as fast as she had spit it out. Maybe it was from the stress of the situation, of being late, or perhaps it had to do with the fact that he reminded her of a side of her life that she would much rather forget about.

The mistake wasn’t necessarily Will himself, but her and her stupid, hard to give up, ritualistic ways.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Will, squeezing his hand.

“Will, I’m so sorry. That was truly uncalled for, perhaps we could-”

Will removed his hand from hers, his posture growing stiff as he backed himself away from her. Her eyes locked onto his face, where she was met with his harsh, cold stare. The very sight made her stomach churn with regret.

He was wearing the same look of hurt that he wore the very night she kicked him out of her life. And now she stood here, all these years later, doing it all over again.

On Christmas Eve, of all nights.

“No, you’re absolutely right, Jemma. I shouldn’t have interfered. Your husband wouldn’t like his wife coming home with a former flame, anyways.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, “I’m glad to see you stuck true to who you were, Jemma. I’m sorry that this Fitz guy wasn’t able to melt that cold, hard side of you completely. Have yourself a Merry Christmas, why don’t you?”

He gave her a weak smile, before turning his back and making his way towards his vehicle. She watched with a feeling of regret so heavy, it was as if someone struck her heart with a large piece of ice.

So Christmas Eve wasn’t going her way this time, _so what?_

Sometimes it was difficult to give up on her ritualistic lifestyle, old habits die hard. What she didn’t expect was for a simple (albeit, _stressful_ ) moment of reuniting with an old flame to bring those old habits flooding back to the surface.

Instead of reflecting on this any longer, Jemma hoisted her bags on her arms, typed a quick reply to Fitz, and shoved her newly cracked phone back into her pocket before making her way across the street with extra caution.

If she ever saw that ‘69 Dodge Charger in her path again, she’d be sure to give its idiot, reckless driver a piece of her mind.

  


_**4:04PM** _

  


A short walk later, Jemma found herself releasing a sigh as she made her way into the front entryway of her home, leaning against the door as it shut itself to the outside world. The warmth of their cozy place met her in an instant, melting away the stress from her walk home.

The scent of freshly baked cookies was another warm welcome, along with the sight of the front area decorated in twinkling Christmas lights and garland.

Now all it needed was one more, important piece.

“Fitz, _I’m home!_ ”

She slid her bags off of her arms, and was surprised to hear a loud thud followed by the sound of bells crashing and a few curses in a familiar, Scottish accent.

She made no comment, only raising her eyebrows slightly as she brushed her shoulder length hair out of her hat. She was starting to unbutton her coat when the cause of the loud thud made himself appear in the entryway.

A smile widened on her face at the sight of him standing there, wearing his ugly Christmas sweater decorated with light blues and whites, making out the shape of a monkey in a Santa hat.

Before she could even finish unbuttoning her coat, he quickly made his way over to her, a smile as wide as hers crossing his face, his arms winding around her waist.

“You’re late, Mrs FitzSimmons.”

Being this close to his face still stirred up feelings like the ones from when they had first kissed under the twinkling lights on their first date, she couldn’t help letting her eyes wander from his and over his entire face.

“Sorry, traffic was kind of bad.”

Fitz pressed his forehead to hers, pressing his nose lightly to hers.

“Mmm, I might know a way you can make it up to me.”

She knew what he was getting at, but without thinking, she pressed her face into his neck, letting her hair stick to his stubble as she hid herself there.

He let out a soft laugh, letting his hand run itself up her back as she let out a breathy sigh.

“I take it you missed me, yeah? A few errands and you’re having withdrawals.”

Her tense muscles relaxed against his frame, her eyes fluttering shut as she took in a deep breath. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to just have him hold her like this for the rest of the night.

“I’m sorry,” she began, keeping her eyes closed.

“Today has just not gone my way. I’m ready for tonight, for nothing but hot cocoa, cookie baking and tree decorating.”

She felt it almost as soon as she had said it, the slight tensing of his own body, his breath growing quiet, his hands no longer moving soothingly up and down her back.

It was then that she was reminded of his text message: “ _Come home, it’s an emergency”._

Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and removed herself from the comfort of his hold and raised her head to look directly into his eyes.

It was then, that she noticed how he was looking off towards the living room, a faraway look of concern in his eyes. He was gnawing on his lower lip, which made him look absolutely adorable, not to mention the pine needles in his sweater, tinsel in his hair and the aroma of his cookies wafting through the house.

“Fitz, what’s going on?”

It was a simple question, but it was enough to bring him looking back into her eyes with a rather embarrassed, sheepish look.

Oh, this couldn’t possibly mean anything good.

“Uh, well, Jemma, I was, ah, I was sent home from work early...”

She raised her eyebrows, her head tilting to the side like an adorable puppy.

“So? You always get off early on Christmas Eve. It’s kind of a thing, you know...”

He grimaced, as if she had just stuck her cold hands underneath his shirt to try and warm them. If he didn’t tell her what was going on soon, she was tempted to do so.

“Um, yeah, but I was sent home early to prepare for the Christmas party, which is actually being moved to tonight.”

Maybe she hit the sidewalk ground harder than she thought, did he really just state that _he_ moved their Christmas party, to _tonight?_ Their special evening? _Without_ telling her?

“W-What?” she asked, surprise evident in her voice.

He rolled his eyes, muttering another curse under his voice as he looked away ashamed.

“Oh Jemma, I am so sorry. Something at work came up, something _huge._ Phil is actually coming tonight-”

“Phil? As in _Coulson_?”

“As in my _boss._ He and his wife, Melinda, they’re both coming because they have news regarding the direction of the D.W.A.R.Fs and their organization. This could be huge, Jemma. Or, you know, the end of my career...”

Jemma shook her head instantly, her smile returning as she began bouncing on her toes.

“No Fitz, this is absolutely _NOT_ bad news! This is huge!”

Though her special night and plans for it were fading, she couldn’t help but still feel excited. She had a feeling that something huge was about to change for Fitz, and that their special night could wait.

She began rattling off the things they needed to do to make this party perfect, as Fitz allowed himself to get so caught up in her giddiness, his hands finding their way back to her waist.

“Alright, listen. We have to have everything looking perfect! We need to get out your mother’s fine China, we need get out the punch bowl, and we need-”

Her rambling was cut off as Fitz closed the gap between their faces, pressing his lips firmly on hers as melted into his gentle surprise without hesitation.

She could tell by the way that he was holding her that he wanted to take this a bit beyond a simple kiss under the mistletoe, and as much as she wanted him to, there was simply no time.

Much to his dismay, she forced herself to break the kiss softly, where she pulled herself out of his hold and began yanking off her coat.

He watched with wide eyes, wondering if she was going to take it a step further, throwing her his puppy dog eyes when she proceeded to hang up her coat and reach for the bags on the floor.

“I’m not kidding, Fitz. We do have to get everything looking _perfect_. I want to impress your boss-”

She was cut off by Fitz grabbing her hand, almost expecting for another kissing session to ensue, but she frowned almost as instantly as he had done it. He grabbed hold of her in the same exact way that Will had done only a short twenty minutes before. She almost called him out on it, but she soon realized why he had done it.

A small cut, most likely from where she fell during her rescue, was fresh on her arm beneath the palm of her hand. He opened his mouth to question it, but she quickly gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Don’t worry about it, it was just a little mishap at the grocery store. Just needs a plaster and I’ll be fine.”

He gave her a questioning look, as though he could sense something was wrong, but didn’t push her on it. He sensed now wasn’t the time. She was already in battlefield planning mode.

Guests would be here in less than two hours, he was covered in pine needles, she was still dressed in her work clothes and they still had to get the tree decorated.

That conversation would have to wait.

  


_**6:32PM** _

  


The first guest knocked on the door just as Jemma was slipping her feet into a pair of velvet black flats. Excitement buzzed through her. Pushing herself off their bed, her excitement was replaced with a sudden wave of nausea. _Not now_ , she thought, and she swallowed it down once she heard Fitz’s footsteps approaching her from the hall.

He popped his head round the corner, revealing the top of his black blazer and dark green, button down dress shirt. While she thought that his Ugly Monkey Christmas sweater (last year’s gift from her) looked adorable on him, she could hardly complain about this look on him.

Compared to him, she felt like Charlie Brown’s little Christmas tree. A short, bare, little guy that was hardly able to get itself into the Christmas spirit, even with as much as anyone tried. You could try and fill her with the spirit, but she would likely topple over from the heaviness of it all.

“Hey, looks like our first guests are here. Ready to go?”

Standing up from the bed, she smoothed her red, velvet dress before giving him a smile. This dress was also a present, but not from Fitz. S- _Daisy,_ had gotten this as a Christmas gift a couple years ago. It was a knee length dress that had a somewhat low cut top, but not so low that it left her feeling inappropriate.

Her exact words were as Jemma held it up before her: “ _Fitz will be thanking you for this later”_. It was the thought behind that comment alone that she decided against wearing it for the longest time, as talking about her and Fitz's marital activities flustered her for multiple reasons. In considering how elegant it looked paired with her flats and how it was all she had in the moment, she couldn’t resist.

Taking her smile as a yes, he extended his arm out for her. She took it and he guided her out. They answered the door together, anticipating their friends to be the first arrivals.

But to their surprise, a man with short, light colored hair stood with an Asian woman, their arms linked and their faces beaming. The woman stood before them dressed in a slightly more revealing, flashy silver dress that had a low V top and a high cut V down the middle of the skirt. The man wore a sophisticated tuxedo, complete with the top two buttons undone and cufflinks.

Jemma tried her best not to flush with embarrassment, already feeling underdressed next to their guests’ outfits.

“Fitz!” the man exclaimed, a warm smile crossing his face as he grasped him on his shoulder.

“So nice to see you again! You remember my wife, Melinda, right?”

Fitz, looking equally as nervous as Jemma, extended his hand and encouraged a smile to cross his face.

“Of course! It is nice to see you again, Mrs. Coulson.”

She rolled her eyes, a teasing smile crossing her face.

“Would you listen to the kid? Calling me ‘Mrs. Coulson’. Please, call me May.”

Letting out a soft laugh, Fitz nodded in agreement.

“Alright, May.. Well, ah, I have someone I want you to meet too.” he began, casually placing his arm around Jemma’s waist, who continued to blush a steady shade of red.

“Phil, May, this is my wife, Jemma. She is the newly appointed boss at her company, specializing in bio-chem.”

May’s eyes lit up like fireworks as she looked at Jemma, her hands suddenly reaching for hers.

“Jemma FitzSimmons, you are literally the talk of the office! This guy does not know how to shut up about you. We were beginning to wonder if you were even real, considering he never brought you to any parties and of course, I understand why, busy business woman and all.”

Her face flushed deeply, as May pulled her into a hug after her few moments of compliments. This wasn’t the characteristics she was initially expecting from her husband’s boss and. his wife, but she could hardly complain. Fitz claimed that his bosses wife was usually cold and hard when it came to the work field, but she was finding out that in other circumstances, this wasn’t at all the case.

Melinda May Coulson was a big, soft, excitable puppy. She wasn’t certain whether it was endearing or unnerving.

May broke the hug, but left her hands resting on Jemma’s stomach. She saw the twinkle in the woman’s eye and suddenly knew what was about to come up.

Oh, how she wish she could have stopped her.

“Any little FitzSimmons planned for the near future?”

Jemma let out a laugh, biting down on her lip nervously. No one really knew about her condition regarding that subject, well, except for Fitz (obviously) and Daisy. Fitz, noticing her expression, gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and smiled gently.

“Work in progress. It hasn’t been an easy road, needless to say.”

Jemma nodded in agreement, a seriousness crossing her face.

“We’ve been visiting some doctors about it, trying to figure out if I can ever have..” her voice trailed off, earning a tighter squeeze from Fitz’s hand.

Ever since trying to have kids and having no such luck, Jemma found the conversation to be a difficult one to discuss.

May’s expression remained the same, though. Her eyes not removing themselves from Jemma’s, she felt as if the woman was looking into her soul, which made her feel even more nervous.

“Well, I don’t think you will have too long to wait. I have faith you will receive that wonderful gift. Oh, which reminds me,” May released her hold on Jemma, who was still flushing deeply.

May reached her hands down into her little silver purse, only to pull out a tiny, velvet black box wrapped in a perfect, gold bow. She quickly placed within Jemma’s hand, leaving the young woman gaping at her in surprise.

“Oh, no! I couldn’t possibly accept-”

“I’d open it if I were you, May won’t take no for an answer.” Coulson chuckled slightly, as May nodded in agreement.

Taking Coulson’s advice, she carefully removed the bow and opened the box with three sets of eyes watching her. Her eyes widened as soon as the case opened, and she saw a small, sparkling snowflake necklace resting in the velvet cushions of the box.

Beneath the dim lights of the entry way, it sparkled like a star against the darkness of the night sky. Aside from the ring Fitz proposed to her with, this had to be the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever laid eyes on.

“It’s a Christmas star necklace,” May started, as Fitz carefully lifted the necklace out of the case.

“They say it holds the charm and beauty of a snowflake and the magic of a wishing star, that whatever your heart desires, will be granted to you if wear the necklace on Christmas Eve.”

Under ordinary circumstances, Jemma would have called out on the silliness and how scientifically impossible Christmas magic was, but seeing it now resting on her neck as Fitz put the clasp in place, her skin tingling at the brush of his fingers, she couldn’t help but feel in awe.

A stranger had just given this to her, out of random kindness. Sure, Fitz and Daisy had done things like this, but they were her friends.

She couldn’t remember the last time a stranger had given her something as nice as this.

“Thank you,” she breathed, holding back tears forming in her eyes as she gave the woman a small smile.

This earned her a huge smile from May, who bowed her head in response.

“Just remember, the star will grant anything your heart desires. Be careful of what’s in your heart when you wear this necklace on Christmas Eve.”

Fitz began giving Coulson and May a tour shortly after that conversation, leaving Jemma to continually look down at the little necklace.

Rationally she knew what May had said was just childish fairytale beliefs, but with how sure May’s voice had been, part of her wondered if the necklace could truly grant her heart’s desire, and a little voice in her head nagged that anything was possible.

  


_**8:04PM** _

  


Daisy showed up shortly after Coulson and May had gotten themselves settled in at the dining table, stating that her date and his friend would be arriving a little late due to an incident that took place earlier in town.

Jemma was grateful for that little piece of news, for she felt that she could enjoy the company of her friend without feeling like she was being a third wheel.

What was usually their quiet dining area used less for eating and more for work projects, was now filled with laughs, stale jokes, hilariously embarrassing Christmas stories and their favorite Christmas traditions.

While she wasn’t use to sharing her Christmas Eve with other people, she found herself warming to the idea. She could see this being a yearly thing, gathering together with these amazing people and sharing a few laughs like this.

She had long since forgotten about the situation that took place in town, about the bandage that covered the cut on her wrist, or the words that Will used to cut her.

These people around her helped her to forget that she even disliked Christmas.

They were just laughing at another ridiculously stale joke of Coulson’s, when Skye had walked back from the kitchen and into the dining area with a bottle of champagne Fitz had brought back from a business trip in her hand.

“Yo, why don’t we break into this bad boy? It is Christmas Eve, after all, and I’m in the mood for some celebrating!”

Coulson offered to do the honors, earning loud, boisterous laughs from everyone when the lid exploded off of the bottle and across the dining area, narrowly missing Fitz’s head.

“Alright, now that that thrill is over with, how about we let the FitzSimmons have the first glasses?” Coulson questioned, as Daisy and May pretty much agreed.

Fitz nodded eagerly, but Jemma bit down on her lower lip at the mere sight of the bottle, her stomach clenching.

“I-I’m good, thanks.”

May’s watched Jemma curiously, causing her to squirm as Daisy’s eyes narrowed.

“Awe, serious, Jem? No ‘Drunk Jemma’ tonight?” Daisy whined, grabbing her friend's hand and giving her a sad, little puppy dog pout.

Jemma gave a weak smile, returning the squeeze to her hand.

“Sorry Daisy, I’m just not feeling too good tonight.”

Daisy stuck out her tongue in disappointment, as Fitz looked over at Jemma with concern, but that was all soon interrupted when the revving of an engine outside of their house caught everyone’s attention.

Jemma’s heart beat quickened, her body stiffening as the sound stopped shortly after.

That sounded an awful lot like a…

“ _1969 Dodge Charger!”_ Daisy exclaimed, a smile widening on her face.

“That must be my date! My new guy? His best friend owns a 1969 Dodge Charger. Let me tell you, that thing is LIT.”

_Oh nononono._

Daisy could have gone on about her date and his best friend’s car ages, but the sound of a chair sliding out was now the noise catching everyone’s attention. Jemma stood up quickly and gave everyone a quick smile at her noisy outburst, ignoring the knock that just came from the direction of their front door.

“I’m so sorry, I just- I really do not feel well. I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back everyone, I promise!”

Fitz looked as if he was going to say something to stop her, but she left the room before anyone could make even a sound.

She locked herself in their tiny guestroom bathroom, leaning against the door and releasing a heavy, exasperated sigh as soon as she was out of earshot. The cut on her wrist was suddenly hurting, a dull, throbbing pain as she thought about her great luck today.

First, a _1969 Dodge Charger_ nearly ran her down, which led to her getting rescued by her ex-boyfriend. After having a conversation go wrong with that said ex-boyfriend, he basically stabs her with some words that had cut deeper than she could honestly withstand.

Now, after her traditional Christmas eve plans with Fitz were thwarted, she comes to find out that that person that nearly ran her down today might be friends with her best friends new guy.

_Could tonight possibly get any worse?_

She heard footsteps outside of the restroom, forcing her to sit herself up straight quickly. She waited for sound of Fitz knocking on the door to check up on her, but the knock never came.

She was surprised a minute later to hear a voice, _Coulson’s voice,_ speak out from beyond the door in a hushed whisper.

“I just wanted to take a minute of your time, Fitz. Before Jemma comes back..”

Jemma found herself quickly pressing her ear to the door, holding her breath so as to not make her presence known. She forgot, she usually used her masterbath, so of course they’d stop here to talk in private, leaving her the option to eavesdrop like a little kid.

She knew she should do the right thing and make her presence known before this got too far along.

“I don’t get why Jemma can’t be here. She is my wife.”

A smile crossed her face, her tense body relaxing as soon as she heard Fitz’s voice. It felt good hearing him stand up for her.

“Yes, but it’s Christmas Eve. I’m already stepping on eggshells with ruining your evening plans as it is, I couldn’t possibly let her worry about this with Christmas day being tomorrow.”

“Are you talking about the trip? Yeah, I know. I was going to talk to her about that tonight. You know, it’s not easy telling your wife that you’re considering going on a business trip for a month the very next _day_ after the New Year.”

Her heart sank as soon as she heard that sentence.

No, this couldn’t be right. A business trip was no big deal, those happened all the time. She knew that they were part of the deal. Question is, _why_ would Coulson pull Fitz aside to talk to him about said business trip in private and why did she feel so nervous all of a sudden?

“Fitz, your entire career rides on this trip being successful. You’ve taken off one too many times, understandably, as I know you and Jemma have been having problems in the child making department...”

“This is about the job threat? _Mace is serious about that?_ ”

“Fitz, Mace doesn’t mess around. Mace is not a family man, he doesn’t understand these things. He hardly understands why we take off for Holidays! Have you told Jemma that you have been out of a job this last month?”

There was a long, thick heavy silence for some time, but Jemma didn’t need to hear his answer. It was obvious that the answer to that was a big, fat, angry _NO._

“Mace is willing to fix this, Fitz. But it is going to take more than a one month deal. I am afraid that you’re going to have completely re-do the entire D.W.A.R.F database entirely. That means those stealth ones you’re working on? You are going to have to take those and multiply their services to extreme levels. This requires you working with Radcliffe in another state, for however long it takes to get the new database up and running.”

She listened as Fitz began pacing nervously, as she envisioned him running his hands through his short curls frustratingly.

“That could take, what? _Six to eight months_! I suppose I am allowed to bring Jemma along if this were to take place, correct?”

The silence grew stiff and thick again, so much so that she could barely breath.

She heard a weary sigh escape Coulson’s lips, as the thickness suddenly became too much.

“I’m sorry, Fit-”

The two men both jumped in startled surprise as the guest room’s door flew open, Coulson’s face turning serious and Fitz’s mouth dropping open at the mere sight of Jemma standing in the doorway.

Tears were evident in her hazel brown eyes, threatening to spill themselves over if either one of them so much as made a single noise. Of course, what did it matter? She heard it, every single, _bloody_ word.

Fitz could lose everything he, that _they,_ worked so hard for. Whether Mace liked to acknowledge it or not, she too, had helped with those stupid, pathetic little D.W.A.R.Fs.

In fact, if it wasn’t for her, there was no way he would have even gotten the job in the first place. The job that he was now losing, because of all the sacrifices he was making, _for her._

And in the end, lying to her face about it.

Fitz stared at her regretfully and attempted to take a step forward, breaking the silence,

“J-Jemma, please-”

“You lied to me,” she began, her voice shaky.

“You’ve lied to me, for what? A _month_?! Why didn’t you tell me that your job was in jeopardy because of a new boss?”

Fitz opened his mouth to respond, only to clamp it shut again. He had no words to say, of course he didn’t. They had always shared everything with each other. Especially their jobs. Science was sacred to them both.

She wouldn’t even let him finish, she wouldn’t have another word of it. There wasn’t anything he could say in this moment that could possibly fix all of this. Her day, her plans, this mess, _none of it._

Anger building up within her chest, she turned back into the bathroom and slammed the door shut with enough force to rattle the entire hallway. She heard something come crashing off of the wall and to the hardwood floor of the hall, glass shattering brought the entire place to complete silence.

After those few moments of her listening to all the silence, everything that took place within the last few hours came bubbling to the surface. Feelings of nostalgia, of adrenaline, bitterness, sorrow, anger and hate.

Hate namely for this awful, miserable holiday season she was forced to deal with every single year.

Two years of marriage, of hard work, of trying so hard for a child, led to this mess. It felt like nothing would _ever_ work out her way, schedule or no schedule. It seemed life didn’t believe she deserved it.

Though she did not believe in magic, curses, or fairytales, she knew that after everything that took place in the last few months, she was cursed.

And with this clear in her mind, she had in her heart, one deep, burning desire.

If she was cursed, if this curse had brought her and now Fitz all this mess, it was because of this darn town and all the moments that it brought to her. She wished, no, she _desired,_ that she’d never come to this awful, forsaken town she once called a home, never met Fitz, nor Daisy, never had a chance to ruin everything, and to have everything ruined.

Leaning against the wall, she slid to the floor, hiding her face in her hands and sobbing into the sleeves of her pretty velvet dress as the noises in the kitchen started up again; hushed, soft and slowly fading away.

She listened to them fade further and further away, until the exhaustion of crying overwhelmed her.

As her eyes fluttered shut, she had the sense that everything would be different tomorrow. Perhaps a night to herself would be all she needed, it had always worked before, she thought.

Unbeknown to Jemma was just _how_ different things truly would be when she woke up the next morning, as she drifted off to sleep on the cold bathroom tiles, the gift around the neck glowing in the darkness.

 

 

 


End file.
